Four Scottish wildcat kittens have been born at the Highland Wildlife Park and for the first time, hidden cameras have captured their mothers caring for them.
The footage was recorded inside the Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre near Kincraig.
It marks a major milestone for the project, which is working to bring the UK’s most endangered mammal back from the brink.
The kittens were born to two adult females, Morag and Margaret, and are now being raised in a quiet, off-show area away from the public.
The secretive set-up is designed to give the young wildcats the best possible chance of growing up without becoming used to humans.
Estelle Morgan, animal team leader at Saving Wildcats, said the moment was both emotional and essential.
“With the population of wildcats in Scotland critically endangered, each birth has the potential to make a significant impact on restoring their numbers in the wild,” she said.
“It’s a major advancement that, for the first time in the centre, we can capture previously unseen behaviour on camera.
“It gives us greater insight into how mothers interact with their young during these first important weeks.”
The new arrivals could one day be released into the wild, with the next round of reintroductions planned for 2026.
Wildcat kittens stay with their mothers for up to six months before they are ready to survive on their own.
Saving Wildcats is a collaboration between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and partners including NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, and international wildlife organisations.
Together, the team is working to prevent the extinction of the Scottish wildcat by breeding and releasing individuals into carefully managed wild habitats.
The project also tackles one of the biggest threats to the species hybridisation with domestic cats through a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return scheme supported by Cats Protection.
With fewer than 20 pure wildcats believed to remain in the wild, every kitten born at the centre brings fresh hope for the species.
